TRIBAL DISENROLLMENT is: STRIPPING Tribal Citizenship from Native Americans,a brutal method of oppressing the people. TRIBAL DISENROLLMENT is the most egregious human rights issue in Indian Country this century

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Letter to Committee on Internet Gaming

The issue of Internet Poker is being addressed at the Capitol on Tuesday morning and in the days ahead. This is an important issue that could impact all of you who are Native American and Without a Tribe.

The following letter needs to be emailed and/or faxed asap to the following political leaders who will be among those making the decisions on this issue:

I am attaching the letter in file form and I am pasting the letter below. The fastest way to send this letter via email is to copy and paste it into the email you plan to send. Once you paste it in your email, be sure to type in your name and address in the space provided at the end of the letter.

I understand that your Committee will be holding a hearing regarding internet poker in California . It has been reported that the reason for this hearing is a proposal by several gaming tribes and card clubs to get a monopoly to provide internet poker in California .

The proposal would allow the tribes and card clubs to offer internet gaming in California and they would split the profits. I have not read if the State would receive any portion of the proceeds from internet gaming, and I wonder if all California Indians will benefit from the proceeds.

The voters of California passed several propositions which allowed California Tribes to open casinos in California and provide gaming similar to that found in Las Vegas and Atlantic City . We were lead to believe that Indian gaming would benefit all California Indians, but I know this has not been the case.

Indian gaming brings in billions of dollars and a handful of the large gaming tribes reap most of the profits. The non-gaming tribes also receive a portion of the profits through revenue sharing in the gaming compacts. However, there are thousands of California Indians who do not benefit from the proceeds of Indian gaming.

These California Indians, who are also recognized by the federal government, are not enrolled in a California Tribe. Some may be members of Tribes who were terminated by the federal government and others have been disenrolled or denied membership in one of the many California tribes which has reduced its rolls after the approval and expansion of Indian gaming in California .

The thousands of federally recognized California Indians who are not members of a recognized California Tribe must also be provided for in any bill in which the California Legislature is going to allow California Tribes run internet gaming in California. The Legislature has a responsibility to all California Indians, not just to the federally recognized tribes, to provide for them equally.

I look forward to your response regarding this issue and the points I have made. Please remember that you have a responsibility to all of California ’s citizens, including its first citizens.